CONGRESSMAN BISHOP STATEMENT REGARDING THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION
Washington, D.C. – This morning, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop (GA-02), the Ranking Member of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies opposed House Amendments to Senate Amendment to House Joint Resolution (H.J. Res.) 59, the Continuing Resolution for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. The measure, as amended, links the continued funding for most government operations through December 15, 2013 to a one-year delay of key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. In addition, H.J. Res. 59 continues the harmful sequester cuts to vital programs affecting veterans, students, senior citizens, and low-income children. The amendment pertaining to delaying the implementation of the Affordable Care Act was approved by a vote of 231 to 192, although both the United States Senate and the President have indicated that they will oppose the CR with its inclusion.
“The American people are mighty fed up with this partisan bickering, which is threatening the livelihoods of millions of Americans and will potentially disrupt our economic recovery,” said Congressman Bishop. “Rather than seeking bipartisan consensus, a small minority in the United States Congress have resorted to brinksmanship in the eleventh hour in order to achieve their goals. I do not believe the Founders of our great nation intended for Congress to shun our Constitutional and moral responsibility to fund the government. And so, instead of this dangerous course of action, it is time for us to work together and do the job the American people expect us to do.”
If the FY 2014 Continuing Resolution is not enacted into law by the beginning of the fiscal year at 12:01 AM on Tuesday, October 1, 2013, the federal government will shut down and more than 800,000 federal workers would face furloughs. Nearly 1.4 million active duty military personnel deployed at home and overseas also would not receive their paychecks.
In addition, closing the federal government would lead to the closure of our own nation’s 401 national parks; the disruption of veterans disability payments; the suspension of approval of Small Business Administration loan applications; and a shortage of funds for food and nutritional support for millions of pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and young children. Furthermore the cost to taxpayers of a government shutdown would be $150 million per day.